After decades of worsening diets and sharp increases in obesity, Americans' eating habits have begun changing for the better. Calories consumed daily by the typical American adult, which peaked around 2003, are in the midst of their first sustained decline since federal statistics began to track the subject, more than 40 years ago. The declines cut across most major demographic groups—including higher- and lower-income families, and blacks and whites—though they vary somewhat by group. In the most striking shift, the amount of full-calorie soda drunk by the average American has dropped 25 percent since the late 1990s. As calorie consumption has declined, obesity rates appear to have stopped rising for adults and school-aged children and have come down for the youngest children, suggesting the calorie reductions are making a difference. The reversal appears to stem from people's growing realization that they were harming their health by eating and drinking too much. The awareness began to build in the late 1990s, thanks to a burst of scientific research about the costs of obesity, and to public health campaigns in recent years. The encouraging data does not mean an end to the obesity epidemic: More than a third of American adults are still considered obese, putting them at increased risk of diabetes, heart disease and cancer. Americans are still eating far too few fruits and vegetables and far too much junk food, even if they are eating somewhat less of it, experts say. But the changes in eating habits suggest that what once seemed an inexorable decline in health may finally be changing course. Since the mid-1970s, when American eating habits began to rapidly change, calorie consumption had been on a near-steady incline. Barry Popkin, a University of North Carolina professor who has studied food data extensively, described the development as a "turning point". There is no perfect way to measure American calorie consumption. But three large sources of data about diet all point in the same direction. Detailed daily food diaries tracked by government researchers, data from food bar codes and estimates of food production all show reductions in the calories consumed by the average American since the early 2000s. Those signals, along with the flattening of the national obesity rate, have convinced many public health researchers that the changes are meaningful.
单选题 Which of the following is NOT true according to the first two paragraphs?
【正确答案】 D
【答案解析】解析:细节题。根据题干关键词the first two paragraphs定位至前两段。根据第一段第二句可知A项“美国成年人的卡路里摄取量开始减少”符合文意,故排除。根据第二段第一句可知B项“在高收入家庭和低收人家庭均出现了下降趋势”符合文意,故排除。根据第二段第二句可知C项“美国人对富含卡路里汽水的饮用开始减少”符合文意。故正确答案为D项。D项中的the main reason是对原文suggesting the calorie reductions are making a difference的过度推断。
单选题 The reversal appeared among Americans because______.
【正确答案】 B
【答案解析】解析:细节题。根据题干关键词The reversal定位至第三段第一句:The reversal appears to stem from people’s growing realization that they were harming their health by eating and drinking too much.此句意为“这个反转趋势显然是因为人们开始惊觉到放纵饮食对身体的危害。”由此可知,B项“意识到不良饮食习惯带来的坏处”符合题意,为正确答案。A项“美国人口的增长”无中生有。C项“大量的科学研究”和D项“近年的公共健康运动”是促使人们意识到不良饮食习惯带来的坏处的原因,而不是题干问题的原因,故排除。
单选题 Which of the disease is NOT related to obesity?
【正确答案】 A
【答案解析】解析:细节题。根据题干关键词disease和obesity定位至第四段:More than a third of American adults are still considered obese,putting them at increased risk of diabetes,heart disease and cancer.此句意为“超过三分之一的美国成年人依然被归类于肥胖族。这些人更容易患糖尿病、心脏疾病以及癌症。”故B项“糖尿病”,C项“心脏病”和D项“癌症”均符合题意,故排除。因此,A项“疟疾”不符合题意,为正确答案。
单选题 What can we know from the changes of eating habits?
【正确答案】 B
【答案解析】解析:细节题。根据题干关键词me changes of eating habits定位至最后一段第一句:But the changes in eating habits suggest that what once seemed an inexorable decline in health may finally be changing course.此句意为“但饮食习惯的改变可能对我们以往一直视为必然的健康衰退提供了一线生机。”由此可知B项“不可逆转的健康衰退有可能被改变”符合题意,为正确答案。A项“卡路里摄人量开始下降”,C项“发展趋势不可预测”和D项“研究者开始关注人们的健康问题”均不符合题意,故排除。
单选题 What can convince many public health researchers that the changes are meaningful?
【正确答案】 A
【答案解析】解析:细节题。根据题干关键词many public health researchers和the changes are meaningful定位至全文最后一句Those signals,along with the flattening of the national obesity rate,have convinced many public health researchers that the changes are meaningful.此句意为“这些信号,加上全国肥胖率不再攀升,都足以让许多公共健康研究者相信这些变化并不是偶然。”故A项“许多信号和全国肥胖率的持平增长”符合题意,为正确答案。B项“政府实验”,C项“研究者的研究”和D项“饮食习惯的改变”均不符合题意,故排除。